Aethonhttp://www.aethon.com
The Leader in Autonomous Mobile Delivery RobotsFri, 17 Jul 2015 20:22:31 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.110 Reasons You Should Automate Crash Cart Managementhttp://www.aethon.com/10-reasons-automate-crash-cart-management/
http://www.aethon.com/10-reasons-automate-crash-cart-management/#commentsFri, 17 Jul 2015 20:21:13 +0000http://www.aethon.com/?p=2963Hospital pharmacists, nurses, and emergency physicians know all about crash carts and operating room carts — those rolling cabinets that transport medication trays, kits, and equipment for emergency and anesthesia use. But as a hospital leader, how much do you really know about them? Check out this recent article published in Becker’s Hospital Review about […]

]]>Hospital pharmacists, nurses, and emergency physicians know all about crash carts and operating room carts — those rolling cabinets that transport medication trays, kits, and equipment for emergency and anesthesia use. But as a hospital leader, how much do you really know about them?

]]>http://www.aethon.com/10-reasons-automate-crash-cart-management/feed/0What Industry 4.0 Means for Manufacturershttp://www.aethon.com/industry-4-0-means-manufacturers/
http://www.aethon.com/industry-4-0-means-manufacturers/#commentsFri, 10 Jul 2015 16:46:22 +0000http://www.aethon.com/?p=2855What Industry 4.0 Means for Manufacturers Today, we’re at a juncture: the rise of automation and the ubiquity of computing power has spurred what many consider yet another Industrial Revolution. Dubbed “Industry 4.0,” Over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, the Industrial Revolution drove new manufacturing technology that would fuel the economic growth […]

Today, we’re at a juncture: the rise of automation and the ubiquity of computing power has spurred what many consider yet another Industrial Revolution. Dubbed “Industry 4.0,”

Over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, the Industrial Revolution drove new manufacturing technology that would fuel the economic growth of significant parts of the globe and a new standard of living for centuries. Steam power, machines of all types, interchangeable parts, and innumerable other advancements offered manufacturers unparalleled levels of productivity — and profitability.

Today, we’re at a similar juncture: the rise of automation and the ubiquity of computing power has spurred what many consider yet another Industrial Revolution. Dubbed “Industry 4.0,” this new era of manufacturing bears many similarities to earlier revolutions — new technology builds on that of the past to automate and streamline previously manual, fragmented workflow processes. If Industry 1.0 represented the rise of water and steam power, 2.0 the advent of electric power, and 3.0 computing capabilities, Industry 4.0 harnesses the inter-connectivity of machines, processes and products . But tangibly, how can this latest revolution power manufacturers as they strive to remain competitive and agile?

An essential facet of Industry 4.0 is autonomous production methods powered by a concept referred to as the “Internet of Things” (IoT) — the idea that by harnessing a connected mesh of objects, devices and computers machines can communicate with each other. And autonomous robots are a seminal example across countless industries, including manufacturing.

By connecting to a central server or database, the actions of robots can be coordinated and automated to a greater extent than ever before. They can complete tasks intelligently, with minimal human input. Materials can be transported across the factory floor via autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), avoiding obstacles, coordinating with fleetmates, and identifying where pickups and dropoffs are needed in real-time.

Because they’re connected digitally, their physical movements are as well. And since AMRs like TUG receive work signals from real-time production systems and manufacturing execution systems, assembly and production employees can focus on actual assembly and production — not the minutiae of internal logistics.

Facility Interaction

Industry 4.0 goes beyond the typical idea of machine-to-machine communication. Facility components typically not regarded as “machines” can be wired up as well, and treated as machines within the factory’s digital ecosystem.

For manufacturers, this is a tremendous opportunity. Manufacturers should be attentive to the automation opportunities, but equally importantly, the enabling technology necessary to that integrate that automation into a well tuned operation. The simplest example related to autonomous mobile robots could be opening doors. Doors that might have been opened and closed by a person for the transport of components and even completed products, must now be “connected,” allowing robots to to communicate with them and automatically open them as they transport the goods. Where previously, factory employees might usher palettes into elevators to move materials between manufacturing floors, with Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), those elevators can now connect via wireless connections and open automatically when an AMR approaches. Robots can now be fully integrated with the facility’s systems, including fire alarms — and respond to emergency situations instead of human employees.

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Of course, some level human input and customization is needed to power automation in manufacturing, and Industry 4.0 facilitates that. By using handheld technology like smartphones and tablets, supervisors can direct robotic activities and perform overrides by using mainstream technology — not expensive, specialized hardware. This allows production managers to remain agile in a fast-paced manufacturing environment where previously they’d be tethered to a computer or stationary data system.

Industry 4.0 represents a giant leap in the evolution of machines — an evolution that has already pioneered leaps in productivity and quality of life over several hundred years. Today, our machines are connected with each other, their physical environments, and most importantly, us.

]]>http://www.aethon.com/industry-4-0-means-manufacturers/feed/0Aethon Recognized as Most Promising Robotic Solution Provider for 2015http://www.aethon.com/aethon-recognized-promising-robotic-solution-provider-2015/
http://www.aethon.com/aethon-recognized-promising-robotic-solution-provider-2015/#commentsTue, 30 Jun 2015 19:46:16 +0000http://www.aethon.com/?p=2849CIOReview recognized Aethon and its TUG robot as one of 20 most promising robotics solutions for 2015. See the full article — > HERE

]]>http://www.aethon.com/aethon-recognized-promising-robotic-solution-provider-2015/feed/0Making Manual Medication Tray Management a Thing of the Pasthttp://www.aethon.com/making-manual-medication-tray-management-thing-past/
http://www.aethon.com/making-manual-medication-tray-management-thing-past/#commentsMon, 15 Jun 2015 18:47:48 +0000http://www.aethon.com/?p=2829Making Manual Medication Tray Management a Thing of the Past Aethon recently launched MedEx TraySafe™ at the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) Summer Meetings & Exhibition 2015. TraySafe™ is the next-generation kit replenishment and tracking solution. You can learn more about the benefits and capabilities of TraySafe in detail on our web page. But in […]

You can learn more about the benefits and capabilities of TraySafe in detail on our web page. But in short, like many of our MedEx modules, TraySafe automates hospital pharmacy logistics by optimizing the process of medication distribution and improves the resource management of pharmacy teams. This time, we’re doing it through medication tray replenishment and detection of missing, expired or misplaced items through ultra-high resolution imaging.

TraySafe aims to reduce the costly, time-consuming “by hand” process of refilling trays and kits — and to do it quickly, accurately, and safely. But in order to understand the benefits of our new solution, we’d like to explain why these tedious processes are detrimental to pharmacy operations.

Trays May Vary

One reason hospitals have struggled to automate medication tray management throughout the years is that they can come in so many different configurations. According to one pharmacy logistics consultant, in a busy hospital, over 100 trays could be making rounds at a given time, with up to 50 waiting to be filled, checked, or awaiting dispatch by a pharmacist or technician. This fleet can be composed of as many as 30 different kit configurations, each having up to 150 individual medications.

The process can get even more hectic in hospitals with busy Emergency Departments and Operating Rooms that churn through several trays throughout the day. With so many different tray combinations, the time spent using manually filling and checking each tray per its configuration, adds up — no matter how big or small the facility is.

Paper Process & ProceduresThe vast majority of pharmacies use paper logs and “recipe” books to manage the replenishment of trays. These logs are used for inbound tray replenishment and are counted on to be right when the hospital must demonstrate accurate record keeping during an audit. This sometimes leaves pharmacy directors in a vulnerable spot when it comes to compliance and quality assurance. The screen to the left is an example of how TraySafe detects inventory in the tray. The inventory records and even images are stored so there is a record for audit purposes or to respond to any safety concerns.

Human Error is Unavoidable

One of the biggest challenges with manual medication tray management is that the process must be done quickly and accurately. Whether it’s missing drugs, failure to replace used vials, or misplaced vials, these errors must be identified and addressed with speed and precision. As important as it is to quickly replenish a tray, it is more important to ensure all the medications are in the correct location according to the layout configuration.

For every item the technician must address in the replenishment process, it costs about $3.75 in labor. Further, if errors do occur during this process, the consequences can be serious. — emergency department clinicians must rapidly respond. We have the technology — why not put those situations in the past, instead?

Managing medication trays manually, with both speed and accuracy, can be a burden on your pharmacy department. To properly replenish a tray, the pharmacist or technician must verify that the correct drugs are in the right locations, in the right quantities — along with the correct auxiliary labels required for compliance. If done right, by hand, each tray should take several minutes to complete. And over the course of a shift, a pharmacy department may have to replenish 30 trays — meaning replenishment activities could steal around 3 hours from a valuable employee’s 10 hour shift. With TraySafe, pharmacists and techs can get the job done more safely, less expensively, more efficiently — the list goes on.

PITTSBURGH (June 4, 2015) – Building on its expertise in pharmacy logistics management, Aethon, Inc. today announced MedEx™ TraySafe™, the next-generation automated kit replenishment solution, at the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) Summer Meetings & Exhibition 2015 taking place June 6-10 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Aethon will be demoing the solution in booth #539.

TraySafe automates the process and improves the safety of replenishing kits and trays. TraySafe tracks all medications distributed throughout the hospital as well. These capabilities reduce the time to process a kit while providing the tools to respond instantly to recalls, expired medications or audits.

TraySafe improves on current automated medication replenishment solutions by replacing the costly RFID tags normally added to each dose with a system that uses an industry-standard and data-rich 2D bar code. Recently passed legislation as part of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act mandates the use of 2D bar codes that include NDC number, lot number and expiration date on unit dose medications and will be required in 2017.

Since it also creates an ultra-high resolution image of the tray that shows which medications are present and automatically detects if medication is in its proper place within the tray, TraySafe delivers a patient safety enhancement that is particularly critical in the emergent situations in which the trays are used.

“Pharmacies are in the logistics business as much as they are in the patient care business,” said Aldo Zini, president and chief executive officer of Aethon. “Yet managing the full life cycle of preconfigured kits and trays from replenishment to distribution has been a longstanding challenge for pharmacy directors. Aethon has a solid track record of delivering innovative logistics solutions and we are pleased to introduce TraySafe. We drew upon our extensive background in managing and tracking medication preparation and deliveries to develop a next-generation and patent-pending kit and tray management solution using non-proprietary industry-standard labeling that makes automated replenishment safer, less expensive and more efficient.”

Improves accuracy and efficiency

Current RFID-based solutions automate a portion of the inspection processes and generate an inventory confirmation once the tray has been refilled. But they also have inherent issues – the most significant being medications that are inserted into the wrong slot in the tray will not be detected – leaving the practitioner vulnerable to error.

“Things happen quickly in an emergency situation, so while pharmacies must manage a wide variety of tray configurations, the clinical users of these trays expect all the items to be correctly configured based on a predetermined layout,” Zini said. “If a medication is mis-filed in the tray, and it is not noticed due to the urgency of the event, the consequences can be devastating for the patient, the clinical team and the hospital.”

Tracks medication locations

In addition to improved efficiency and safety, TraySafe provides complete kit and tray logistics tracking that incorporates mobile handheld scanners built on the Apple iPod solution. TraySafe tracks the distribution and present location of all kits and trays as they are placed in carts or storage areas throughout the hospital. This makes it possible for the pharmacy to instantly locate medications wherever they are stored in the hospital. This would allow, for example, the pharmacist to find a specific lot of medications that may have been recalled, or have better management control of medications that are about to expire. In addition, it provides the ability to perform scheduled audits or instantly respond to ad-hoc audits without the need for paperwork or manually maintained audit logs.

“Patient safety is a top priority at every hospital, followed closely by efficiency and cost containment,” Zini said. “TraySafe helps in all of these areas. It allows hospitals to manage the entire kit and tray management process, from the pharmacy to the cart to the floor and back again with greater precision than has ever been possible. It’s a significant advance in pharmacy logistics management.”

Embedded computer plus cloud support

TraySafe is an all-in-one cloud connected product that requires no external PC. Its embedded computer runs all software and tray scanning algorithms to process trays with fast, consistent and reliable performance. It is connected to Aethon’s Cloud Command Center for 24/7/365 support, automatic updates of the software system, and data / system optimization.

About Aethon

Aethon automates Intralogistics™ in hospitals by delivering goods and supplies using its TUG® smart autonomous mobile robot and manages pharmacy logistics using MedEx™, a software system used to track medication deliveries from the pharmacy. Over 400 TUG autonomous mobile robots are making more than 50,000 deliveries each week in hospitals across the United States. For more information, visit www.aethon.com.

]]>http://www.aethon.com/aethon-unveil-traysafe-ashp-june-7-9-booth-539/feed/0Protected: Product Information – Boschhttp://www.aethon.com/product-information-bosch/
http://www.aethon.com/product-information-bosch/#commentsThu, 28 May 2015 19:52:50 +0000http://www.aethon.com/?p=2590There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.